Moments Before Death
by Tahimik Panda
Summary: A songfic about Katsuya's last moments and his memories. The song featured in this story is "I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith. I don't own the song, i'm just writing a fic on it.


Disclaimer: I don't own Fruits Basket as much as I love the characters though. I however do own this fanfic so please don't post it on your site or w/e.

_I could stay awake just to hear you breathing  
Watch you smile while you are sleeping  
While you're far away and dreaming_

Katsuya Honda looked at the form of his sleeping wife and smiled. She looked so peaceful, every once and a while smiling in her dreams. "It must be a good dream," he thought to himself.

_I could spend my life in this sweet surrender  
I could stay lost in this moment forever_

He didn't want to go to work yet. He just wanted to look at Kyoko and Tohru the whole day and not have to go to work. He wanted to be there with them for a little bit more before he went to work. He just had this odd feeling in his gut that this would be the last time that he would ever see them.

_Well, every moment spent with you  
Is a moment I treasure_

Looking over at his daughter, Tohru, now he smiled. She was the highlight of his life. He loved her with all his heart, and wished that he would always be with her. Tohru yawned for a little bit and rolled over in her bed. Katsuya looked at the clock and checked the time. It was time for him to get up, time for the moment to end.

_I don't wanna close my eyes  
I don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing_

He slowly got up from the bed and started getting ready. Memories of how he met Kyoko swarmed through his head. She was amazing, even to this day she was still amazing. "Maybe becoming a teacher's aid for a little while was a good thing afterall." He mused to himself.

_'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing_

In a matter of minutes he was done. He went down the stairs and got himself some coffee to wake himself up. He put some toast in the toaster oven and waited for the click of the toaster to tell him it was done. Soon the toast was ready and buttered, and he was fully awake. His work started in about an hour and it was a thirty-minute drive from their house to his work. Before he went though he decided to go up the stairs and say good-bye to Kyoko, one last time.

_Lying close to you  
Feeling your heart beating  
And I'm wondering what you're dreaming  
Wondering if it's me you're seeing  
Then I kiss your eyes and thank God we're together  
And I just wanna stay with you  
In this moment forever, forever and ever  
_

Katsuya sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his wife. When he had woken up earlier this morning after his dream, he had prayed that they would spend a few more years together as a family. He didn't know if anyone heard his prayers. "Will I ever see her and Tohru again?" he thought. He didn't want to go. Not yet. Tohru was still young and Kyoko was pretty young herself. It would break her heart if he left her right now. It would break his heart too to know that he had left Kyoko all alone by herself. Suddenly, his cellphone started to ring.

"Hello?" he said.

"Hey Katsuya, where are you?" a co-worker of his asked.

"I'm at my house right now, I'm just about to leave." He responded.

"Ok, well get here soon because we have a meeting to attend this morning." His co-worker said.

"Ok, I'm on my way." Katsuya said, and he hung up his phone

_I don't wanna close my eyes  
I don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing_

He looked at his wife again. He was reluctant to leave her. Deciding that it was time, he kissed her forehead, smoothed back her hair, and got off the bed. He then walked over to Tohru's bed and kissed her forehead as well. He was about to walk out the bedroom door when a small voice spoke out from behind him.

"Daddy, are you going to work now?" Tohru asked.

"Um, yeah honey, you should go back to sleep. It's still early." Katsuya said gently.

"Ok daddy." Tohru said obediently.

Katsuya walked over to his daughter and gave her a gentle hug. She then lay down on the bed and he put the covers up to her chin. He kissed her forehead and smiled. "Sweet dreams honey." He smiled. Tohru just smiled happily and closed her eyes. Katsuya watched her for a few minutes, and eventually she fell asleep.

Katsuya descended down the stairs and went to the couch to pick up his stuff. He then went out to the car and drove out to work. It was a normal day as usual. Meetings, paperwork, co-workers hounding on his door trying to ask him a question, important phone calls, etc. It was still dark and he was still at work. Everybody had left already wishing him a good afternoon and thanking him for all the help he gave them. Katsuya looked at the family picture of Tohru, Kyoko, and him and smiled. Tohru looked so sweet and innocent in the picture and Kyoko was beautiful. He coughed uncontrollably for a few minutes and then finally settled down. Then the phone rang.

_I don't wanna miss one smile  
I don't wanna miss one kiss  
Well, I just wanna be with you  
Right here with you, just like this_

"Hey honey, it's Kyoko." Kyoko said cheerfully.

"Hey," Katsuya responded tiredly.

Hearing the tiredness in her husband's voice Kyoko got kind of worried. "Are you feeling ok?" she asked him worriedly.

"Um, yeah, I'm just coughing a little bit." He said.

"I'll come pick you up." She said.

"Just stay at home Kyoko, I'll be fine, I just have to finish up some paperwork. Besides I don't want to get you and Tohru infected." She said.

"Ok, but did you go to the hospital?" she asked.

"Not yet, but I will." He responded. They talked for a little bit more, Kyoko asking him how his day was. They also talked about giving Tohru a sibling, but they weren't sure. Katsuya could hear Tohru's cheery voice in the background.

_I just wanna hold you close  
Feel your heart so close to mine  
And just stay here in this moment  
For all the rest of time_

"Uh, Kyoko I have to go. I have paperwork to finish." He said.

"Ok, but don't work to late. " she said worriedly.

"I'll try to come home as soon as possible." He responded. He wasn't sure though that he could keep his promise. There was silence on both ends of the line for a couple of seconds. Both of them didn't want to stop talking, but they knew that Katsuya had to do some paperwork.

Finally Kyoko said, "Allright, I'll leave you to do your paperwork. Bye."

Katsuya felt a pang in his heart. He didn't want to hang up the phone. He knew he had to though. The moment had to end at one point or another. Finally he said, "Ok, bye Kyoko, I love you. Also tell Tohru that her daddy loves her."

Kyoko laughed on the other side of the line. "Hey Tohru, daddy says hi and he loves you." She yelled out. Tohru's laughter was heard on the other side of the phone.

"Hahaha." She laughed, "I love daddy too."

"Yeah, me too." Kyoko said smiling. "I love you, bye."

There was a click on the other line and the phone went dead. Katsuya put the phone on the receiver and stared at it for a couple of moments.

_Don't wanna close my eyes  
Don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do  
'Cause I'd still miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
_

He then went to go do some more paperwork. As he looked at all the figures typed out neatly on the paper in front of him though, he couldn't concentrate. He didn't see any numbers. He only saw the faces of his wife and his daughter in front of him. He saw the memories flash before his eyes. How Kyoko accidentally swung the cabinet door in Tohru's face. The look on his father's face when Tohru was born. The look in Kyoko's eyes when he proposed to her, or when he took her to the sea. The warmth he felt in his heart when he hugged Tohru in the snow.

_I don't wanna close my eyes  
I don't wanna fall asleep  
'Cause I'd miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
'Cause even when I dream of you  
The sweetest dream would never do  
I'd still miss you, baby  
And I don't wanna miss a thing  
_

Katsuya felt himself tear up. He knew that his prayers hadn't been answered. He would never experience those memories again. He would never see the smiling faces of his wife and his child. They would be all alone in the world without him. He felt guilty. Why didn't someone answer his prayers? A tear fell from his eye as he stared at the family picture again.

_Don't wanna close my eyes  
Don't wanna fall asleep, yeah  
_

Suddenly a cough teared up from his chest. He kept coughing uncontrollably, violently twitching in his seat. He was shaking and he had a bad headache. He didn't want to die yet though. He still had so much to do. The twitching wouldn't stop though. He felt so much pain, much more than he had ever felt before. He fell to the floor still coughing. HE wanted the pain to stop, he wanted the coughing to stop.

_I don't wanna miss a thing  
I don't wanna miss a thing_

"Oh God, Kyoko, please forgive me." He thought to himself. "I'm so sorry I left you, I'm so sorry I left Tohru, and I'm sorry that I won't be there to help you in the future." Another tear fell down his cheek. He then took his last breath, and all was silent in the office.


End file.
